7 Books That Taught Me Something About Business
Over the past 7 years, I’ve read 50+ books on business, leadership, start-ups, and self-discipline.
Here are 7 books that taught me something about business.
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, I like you, You make me happy. I am glad to see you.
“I will speak ill of no man and speak all the good I know of everybody.” — Benjamin Franklin
2. Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Doing the same thing over and over won’t make things better.
While in the past we may have wanted loyal employees, today we need flexible people who are not possessive about “the way things are done around here.”
Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.
Enjoy change. Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese.
3. The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino
Do not aspire for wealth and labor not only to be rich. Strive instead for happiness, to be loved and to love, and most importantly, to acquire peace of mind and serenity.
Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.
4. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
If ego is the voice that tells us we’re better than we really are, we can say ego inhibits true success by preventing a direct and honest connection with the world around us.
A true student is like a sponge. Absorbing what goes on around him, filtering it, latching on to what he can hold. A student is self-critical and self-motivated, always trying to improve his understanding so that he can move on to the next topic, the next challenge. A real student is also his own teacher and his own critic. There is no room for ego there.
Every time you sit down to work, remind yourself: I am delaying gratification by doing this. I am earning what my ambition burns for. I am making an investment in myself instead of my ego. Give yourself a little credit for this choice, but not so much, because you’ve got to get back to the task at hand: practicing, working, improving.
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” — John Wooden
5. Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller
Story is the greatest weapon we have to combat noise because it organizes information in such a way that people are compelled to listen.
The day we stop losing sleep over the success of our business and start losing sleep over the success of our customers is the day our business will start growing again.
Human beings do not make major life decisions unless something challenges them to do so.
Great brands obsess about the transformation of their customers.
6. The One Thing by Gary Keller
What is the one thing you can do this week that would make everything else easier?
No one succeeds alone.
Answers come from questions and the quality of any answer is directly proportional to the question.
People do not decide their future. They decide their habits, and their habits decide the future.
“There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all” — Peter Drucker
7. Good Profit by Charles Koch
Good Profit is creating superior value for our customers while consuming fewer resources and always acting lawfully and with integrity.
Sunk costs should not govern decisions. Instead, decisions need to be driven by forward-looking analysis.
When employees are rewarded only for short-term accounting profits without factoring in what long-term profits were missed, they will tend to make suboptimal decisions.
Having a clear vision is critical to attracting the best talent. Understanding what a business is trying to achieve and how it creates value not only enables employees to focus and prioritize; it helps them develop and find fulfillment.
“Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile” — Mary Beard
#SharedFromTwos ✌️
Write, remember & share w/ Twos: https://www.TwosApp.com?code=baller
Personal website: https://www.parkerklein.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twosballer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwosBaller
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkeraklein
Medium: https://parkerklein.medium.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twosballer
#SharedFromTwos ✌️
